Paintings Are My Life

The Pavle Beljanski Memorial Collection commemorates sixty years since the passing of its donor, diplomat, and collector Pavle Beljanski (Veliko Gradište, 19 June 1892 – Belgrade, 14 July 1965) with the exhibition Paintings Are My Life. The exhibition opens on August 5th at 8 p.m. and runs until September 14th. The exhibition curators are Milana Kvas, MA, and Angelina Rodić.

With a keen eye for genuine artistic merit, Pavle Beljanski assembled an anthology collection of 20th-century Yugoslav fine art, which he generously gifted to the Serbian people in 1957. In addition to works of art, the legacy also preserves valuable documentary material, offering new perspectives on the life and work of the donor. Spanning the period between the public opening of the Memorial Collection in 1961 and Pavle Beljanski’s passing in 1965, the exhibition features artworks, archival footage, the museum’s first guestbook, a selection of newspaper articles, and photographs. On the one hand, these materials disclose Beljanski’s reflections on his collection and, on the other, the deep respect his contemporaries held for him. The painting Bačka by Milan Konjović holds a prominent place in the exhibition. Moved by the news of Pavle Beljanski’s passing, the artist completed the work in just three days and donated it to the Memorial Collection with the inscription: Слава П. Бељанском 17 / VII 65 (To the memory of P. Beljanski, 17 / VII 65). Visitors will have the opportunity to leave their mark on the exhibition themselves by recording their impressions in the guestbook, which remains open to new reflections on the collector and his legacy.